Huge Criminal Justice Overhaul Finally Passes House

The House voted 28-11 on Thursday to adopt one of the largest overhauls ever to Alaska’s criminal justice system. The bill draws on recommendations from the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission. They include putting in place a new system to assess the risk posed by offenders and allowing low-risk offenders to avoid jail time. Both sides displayed passion over four days of debate on Senate Bill 91. Anchorage Republican Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux said it’s time for a different approach to criminal justice.